Tag: #Soccer

  • Tottenham Dodged That Bullet (Unedited)

    I was out of town this past weekend for Memorial Day. The wife had found a cabin in the Vermont woods. A very last minute find and deal at the same time. I say all of this because we, as a family, were attempting to disconnect for three days in the woods and spend time together.

    Except for Sunday morning, when I had to take my phone, and hide in the back bedroom to watch and see if Tottenham was going to get relegated.

    I, several times in fact, had written off Tottenham Hotspur’s season. I had high hopes with Thomas Frank coming in at the start of the season, but I had hope, so there was my first mistake. I gave up on the team, first time around, at the end of 2025. For me, that was the moment that I realized that Spurs was not going to make the top six on the table, so not chance for European play next season. Then I gave up on the team, the second time, when they sacked Frank. Then the third time of giving up on them was when it looked like they were about to get relegated, and West Ham was going to squeak by.

    But the “Relegation Fight” turned out to be way more exciting than I expected. Exciting in a gallows humor sense, I guess. I mean, I was expecting the worst. And to be honest, I sort of felt like the club deserved it. (Not the players, of course. I don’t fully blame them for what happened.) Almost seven years of mismanagement was finally coming to a head, and in a weird way, I thought the only way for Spurs ownership to learn their lesson was for them to go down to the Championship, pay out the nose, and have a half full world class stadium on match day. And the true salt in the wound would be how American football would come into Hotspur Stadium and sell the place out.

    What I got was a mediocre match between Tottenham and Everton. The person I felt very back for was Pickford giving up a goal to these losers. (Good thing Pickford plays better in the World Cup than for his club.) But a winning goal is still a winning goal, and though Tottenham could have made it through with a draw, I was happy that the season did end on a win.

    That will leave next season. I hope Madison stays healthy and can get back into the starting lineup. Same thing for Kulusevski. Maybe some more help on the attack would be good. And the backline still feels like it’s missing one piece to make it solid. I’m not expecting Tottenham to win the League, but I would be happy with a top ten finish.

    Anyway… I got a World Cup to get through, and then I can start putting all my efforts into getting my hopes.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Make It Stop, Three Weeks, and Relax

    ODDS and ENDS: Make It Stop, Three Weeks, and Relax

    (Mama, I know we broke the rules…)

    I know the urban legend is that celebrities die in threes, but man, this week is really pushing the barrier on that old adage. It started with Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and then this week went wild; Ozzy, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Mangione, Connie Francis, and I will also throw in the tragic news that Anne Burrell’s death was caused by suicide. And there is part of me that feels like I am leaving a person or two off this list, but this is just who is popping into my head as I write this. Just kind’a a sad week, as it seems like God is making it pour…

    Hey! Premier League starts up in three weeks! And I am ready because Tottenham had just about the worst season a club could have without being relegated and still winning a tournament. But outside of that, 2024/25 was a trash-ass dumpster fire of a season, and we can only go up from here! The first bit of good news was the hiring of Thomas Frank as the teams new manager. They nicked Frank off of Brentford, which was another club that I like and followed slightly. Frank did an impressive job getting Brentford promoted from the Championship League to the Premier, and then keeping the club competitive ever since. I have high hopes for Frank’s tenure as Spurs manager. And I’m looking forward to the Fall and winter mornings, donning my Tottenham scarf, sitting in bed with my iPad, watching a match, and falling asleep by halftime.

    I need to work on relaxing. I’m not good at it. If I’m not doing something then I think I am falling behind and failing. Gotta work on that. But first I need to go and paint one of the alcoves in the living room…

  • ODDS and ENDS: Vacation, Euro Final, and The End of the World

    (And I knew there was no turning back…)

    I had been out of town for the past week and a half. You could call it a vacation, in the sense that I left the place where I lived and went someplace new. I was Texas, but it was a new town in Texas that I had never been to before. It was Sanger, TX which is small town country Texas. It had been over twenty years since I had been in a region of Texas that was so far removed from everything else in the world. Though that far out in the country is not a place I would like to live (I am a City kid, after all) having grown up in Texas, there is something comforting and reassuring about being in that world of Texas. Not that I even spent a huge amount of time in the country, but if you dive an hour in any direction from the DFW area, you hit flat land, dusty winds, and a feeling that the world goes on forever. I enjoyed my time in Sanger. Yes it was small, but it was small town friendly, and a good place to have a wedding. (I was there for a wedding, if I didn’t say that yet.) It was also fun to show my daughter, who is a real City Kid, what the country is really like.

    And as I was in Texas for a wedding, I wasn’t able to finish my Euro Cup observations. Well, though I was rooting for England, I never really thought they were going to win. Spain just looked dominating, and they seemed destined to win it all. Now, I will say that England put up a hell of a fight (at least that’s what the highlights I saw showed) and it was entertaining, but England will always be the bridesmaid of international football. England had better players, but Spain was the better team. I have a very odd feeling that this was Harry Kane’s last international tournament. With Southgate resigning, which was expected win or lose, I don’t see Kane wanting to stick around. Not that Harry wouldn’t make the squad, but something strikes me that Kane is ready to pass the torch, so to speak. Botton line, I thought the Euro Cup 2024 was exciting and fun and well worth paying the cable fees so I could watch all the matches.

    I don’t like being this guy, but lately, it does feel like the world is coming to an end. Hopefully, it will pass after November, 5th.

  • Euro Cup 2024 – A Casual Fan’s Impressions – Round of 16 Day 1 and Day 2

    The Group Stage was fun, but the Knock Out Rounds is why were all here. The best players step up, and the drama! So much drama!

    Day 1

    Switzerland v Italy

    I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that Italy would play so flat. The Italians played like a team that snuck into this round, while Switzerland behaved like they expect to make a deep run.

    Germany v Denmark

    I do have a soft spot for Denmark, but there was no way Germany was going to lose this match. Yeah, Germany clearly thinks this is their tournament.

    Day 2

    England v Slovakia

    Now, here was your drama match. Won’t lie, I was pulling for England, and for 80 minutes, they were playing to lose. England may have better players, but Slovakia was the better team. And yet, when England needed them, the better players showed up and have four amazing minutes. Bellingham and Kane are two dangerous players, and you can never count them out, or forget about them on the pitch. A goal in the last thirty seconds in stoppage time. A goal in the first few minutes of extra time. Slovakia played a better match, but games like this are why international tournaments are so much fun. Drama, drama, drama!

    Spain v Georgia

    For a few minutes, it looked like this might be a huge upset, and then Spain started playing. There really wasn’t much Georgia could do to stop Spain. Yeah, Spain is planning on winning this whole thing.

    Thoughts:

    Well, the England win was tons of fun, but I don’t think they will get by Switzerland. England has a couple days to figure out how to play like a team, and if they don’t Switzerland will pick them apart

    And Spain against Germany might just well be the match of the tournament; who wins this one will most likely win in all. I’m clearing my calendar for this one.

  • Euro Cup 2024 – Day 8 to Day 13 – A Casual Fan’s Impressions

    I keep thinking that my life slows down when Summer rolls in and the kid gets out of school. No, I am a foolish man. Issues and projects pop up, and kid get sick, but through it all I kept watching matches, or watching highlights late at night on YouTube. Either way, this is what I saw…

    Day 8

    Slovakia v Ukraine

    Nice flash of aggressiveness in Ukraine to fight back and win this one.

    Poland v Austria

    Austria was in control of this match, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for Poland.

    Netherlands v France

    Two heavy weights going at it. I couldn’t shake the thought that France doesn’t have the players to make up for Mbappe’s absence due to his broken nose.

    Day 9

    Georgia v Czechia

    I wasn’t expecting much from these teams, but it was a fun match to watch.

    Turkey v Portugal

    Portugal was not messing around, and Ronaldo played like a team leader out there – unselfish play, pulling the defense away from the ball.

    Belgium v Romania

    Hey! Belgium showed up and played like the Red Devils.

    Day 10

    Switzerland v Germany

    Germany was on autopilot for this – they could have played harder. That’s not to say that Switzerland wasn’t out to win, but Germany didn’t look dominate.

    Scotland v Hungary

    Poor Scotland. Poor, poor Scotland. This match broke my heart for the Scots, but you want drama in a tournament, and that’s what happened. Poor Scotland.

    Day 11

    Albania v Spain

    Spain is here to win. Anything less than the Cup will be a failure to them.

    Croatia v Italy

    Another super dramatic heartbreaker. Croatia did everything right up until the last thirty seconds, and they let Italy take this from them. This is what makes the Group Stage so much fun; it’s not over until it’s over.

    Day 12

    France v Poland

    With Mbappe not at 100%, he is still crazy dangerous out there on the pitch, but again I was left feeling that he doesn’t have the support behind him. And again, Poland played well, but just couldn’t get over the hill.

    Netherlands v Austria

    Wow! This was a match, and another reason why the Euro Cup is so completely exciting. I knew the Dutch were always contenders, but Austria (who I am not familiar with) who had some luck, skill, and played like the wanted it more.  

    England v Slovenia

    Well… England won the group. The Three Lions played better, but they still don’t look like a solid team out there. Getting a little worried that they will be bounced in the first round of the knockout.

    Denmark v Serbia

    A pretty solid draw. Serbia fought for it, and Denmark wasn’t messing around either. Another really fun match in the tournament.

    Day 13

    Ukraine v Belgium

    Belgium played to not lose, and Ukraine tried.

    Slovakia v Romania

    This is the only match I didn’t get a chance to see, nor catch the highlights. Sorry guys, no offense.

    Czechia v Turkey

    This Match was CRAZY! There should be a rule that when a match starts to spiral out of control, that the game takes a 15-minute timeout, and a new official is brought out on the field. I know the ref is getting the majority of the blame for this match being a dumpster fire, but what I saw was two desperate teams out there willing to do anything to win – they both had chips on their shoulders.

    Georgia v Portugal

    At least the Group Stage ended on a high note, with Georgia achieving a major upset. I will agree with Ronaldo that he was completely manhandled and fouled relentlessly, and never got a call. That was some bad officiating. Yet, I don’t want to take anything away from Georgia’s win, handedly, over a Portugal team that should have crushed them.

    Overall Thoughts:

    And we are now to the Knock Out Round. I still feel like Spain and Germany are playing the best, and there is a good chance they will meet on July 5th in the Quarterfinals. France and Belgium looks like a good match up, and I have no proof of this, but I have a hankerin’ that Switzerland and Italy could also be exciting. As for England, the team I am supporting, I have a feeling that they will be upset by Slovakia.